The appeal of ice cream cake is obvious: These two beloved desserts
belong together, and a cold, creamy slice of ice cream cake is far more
satisfying than a scoop of ice cream haphazardly dolloped onto a slice of
cake.

We wanted to develop a basic ice cream cake that would be a hit at any
party. We started with three crowd-pleasing flavors — chocolate, vanilla,
and strawberry — to create a striped Neapolitan cake. Oreo crumbs served as
a sturdy bottom crust and also provided a welcome bit of chocolatey crunch
between each layer of ice cream.

When it came to assembling the cake, we found that the key was patience.
We didn’t start until the crust was completely cool, and allowing the ice
cream to soften to a spreadable consistency ensured it wouldn’t mar the
crust. For clean lines and to avoid a melty mess, it was essential to freeze
each layer before adding the next.

We dressed up our cake by pressing party-ready rainbow sprinkles into the
sides, but you could also use chopped nuts or crushed candies or cookies.
You can also pipe a greeting on top once the cake is fully frozen. Use the
entire Oreo — filling and all — for the crust. Before removing the cake from
the springform pan, run your paring knife under hot tap water for 10 seconds
or so.

America’s Test Kitchen provided this article to The
Associated Press. More recipes, cooking tips, and ingredient and product
reviews are available at <www.americastestkitchen.com>.